Cobb, of course, is one of the greatest hitters who ever lived. He was in the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1936. His induction was well-deserved at that. He played for 24 years and hit over .300 in 23 of them. He had three seasons where he hit over .400, with a high of .420 in 1911. The “Georgia Peach” hit 297 triples, scored 2,245 runs and swiped 892 bases. He was clearly one of the best players who has ever lived.

Cobb also once physically attacked a black groundskeeper during spring training when the groundskeeper attempted to shake Cobb’s hand. During the attack the groundskeeper’s wife tried to defend him and Cobb choked her until his teammates physically pried his hands off the woman’s neck. Cobb also once attacked a laborer who was angry with Cobb after the Peach walked in wet cement the laborer was laying. Cobb was convicted of battery. Later, Cobb slapped a black elevator operator for being “uppity.” When a black night watchman intervened, Cobb pulled out a knife and stabbed him.

In 1910 Cobb had a slight lead in the batting race heading into the last day of the season. He sat out that day in order to preserve his lead. That ended up being pretty complicated, though. Cobb was once accused of conspiring to fix a game in 1919. There was a big investigation and hearing, but his accuser — Dutch Leonard — refused to show up. The matter was dismissed.

Cobb was a complicated, troubled and angry guy whose troubles and anger often were played out at the ballpark, alienating teammates and affecting the game. He was also a great ballplayer. It’s perfectly acceptable and totally understandable that historians keep these traits of Cobb’s separate when assessing his baseball career, for they are two distinct parts of the man. A Hall of Fame without Ty Cobb in it would be the most ridiculous thing imaginable.

As we find ourselves in Hall of Fame season, ask yourself: if a current candidate had attacked fans and umpires, had been accused — but not proven — to have cheated the game and to have shown himself to be an awful all-around person despite his amazing baseball prowess, what kind of Hall of Fame support would he get?

I bet he wouldn’t be a first-balloter like Cobb was. I bet he wouldn’t sniff induction.

A report from the Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly suggests that free agent catcher Welington Castillo currently tops the Orioles’ list of potential backstop targets for the 2017 season. With Matt Wieters on the market, the Orioles lack a suitable platoon partner for Caleb Joseph behind the dish, and Connolly adds that the club has been discussing a multi-year deal with Castillo’s representatives since the Winter Meetings.

Castillo batted .264/.322/.423 with the Diamondbacks in 2016, racking up 14 home runs and driving in a career-high 68 RBI in 457 PA. His bat provides much of his upside, and Connolly quoted an anonymous National League scout who believes that the 29-year-old’s defensive profile has fallen short of his potential in recent years.

For better or worse, both the Orioles and Castillo appear far from locking in a deal for 2017. Both the Rays and Braves have expressed interest in the veteran catcher during the past week, while the Orioles are reportedly considering Wieters, Nick Hundley and Chris Iannetta as alternatives behind the plate.

Nava began the season on a one-year contract with the Angels, during which he slashed .235/.309/.303 through 136 PA in the first half of 2016. He was flipped to the Royals in late August for a player to be named later and saw the remainder of his year go down the drain on an .091 average through 12 PA in Anaheim. After getting the boot from the Angels’ 40-man roster in November, the 33-year-old outfielder elected free agency.

Nava is expected to compete for a bench role on the Phillies’ roster in the spring. As it currently stands, the club’s projected 2017 outfield features Howie Kendrick and Odubel Herrera, with precious little depth behind them. Nava’s bat is underwhelming, but at the very least he offers the Phillies a warm body in left field and a potential platoon partner for one of their younger options, a la Tyler Goeddel or Roman Quinn.